XX Proceedings. [March 15th, ipo^. 



Many of these specimens possess more or less full descrip- 

 tions, and sometimes a generic or specific name proposed, then 

 erased, and another substituted ; specially is this the case with 

 the genus Tetratheca Smith, and certain Myrtacem. 



It is thought fitting that especial attention to these and other 

 historical entities in this Herbarium should be drawn to-day 

 (March 15th, 1904), since the greater portion of it has this 

 morning been transferred to the care of the Manchester Museum, 

 Owens College. It is hoped, as requested by the Authorities, 

 that particulars may be given, in some detail, as to the com- 

 ponent parts of the collection and set forth in the Annual 

 Report of the Museum. 



Mr. Melvill also read a paper by Mr. Rupert Vallentin, 

 entitled, "The Falkland Islands Re-visited," in which 

 the principal zoological, botanical, and geological features of the 

 district were vividly described. Lantern slides illustrating the 

 habits of the penguin and other birds were also shown, besides 

 a miscellaneous selection, principally of views in the Islands. 



Mr. A. D. Darbishire, B.A., gave an account of Mendel's 

 Principles of Heredity which are causing much disturbance 

 among biologists at the present time. His paper showed the 

 close connection which existed between Mendel's theory and the 

 problem of the origin of species as it is presented to Naturalists 

 of to-day. 



After describing Mendel's results Mr, Darbishire referred 

 to some hybridisation experiments, which he had made, by 

 crossing the so-called Japanese waltzing mice with albinos, in 

 order to test the validity of Mendel's theories. 



Specimens of waltzing and albino mice as well as the 

 resultant hybrid (which was hard to distinguish from a common 

 house-mouse) were shown at the meeting. 



The paper was concluded by the description of a method 

 for explaining Mendel's theory in a simple manner by means of 

 red and white counters. 



